Find your stones by birthday

Last updated on January 12th, 2023

Birthstones and their striking hues have long served as a link between your birth month and precious and distinctive gemstones. They make thoughtful presents for mom, a friend, a husband, or a member of the family on key occasions. However, as you’ll see below, they actually mean much more than that. You’ve come to the perfect site whether you’re looking to buy stones by birthday or want to figure out which birthstone gem hues correspond to each month. We will discuss the history of these stones, their customary applications, and the birthstone associated with each month, along with a tonne of charts. They make wonderful stones for charms, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and more.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind Birthstones
• Stones by birthday for January : Garnet
• Stones by birthday for February: Amethyst
• Stones by birthday for March : Aquamarine
• Stones by birthday for April : Diamond
• Stones by birthday for May : Emerald
• Stones by birthday for June : Pearl or Alexandrite
• Stones by birthday for July : Ruby
• Stones by birthday for August : Peridot
• Stones by birthday for September : Sapphire
• Stones by birthday for October : Tourmaline or Opal
• Birthstone for November : Topaz or Citrine
• Birthstone for December : Tanzanite, Zircon or Turquoise
• Conclusion
• Some useful FAQs

The Story Behind Birthstones

Associated with a person’s birth month are precious stones known as birthstones. The birthstones for each month are listed here to get you started.
January Birthstone : garnet.
February Birthstone : amethyst.
March Birthstone : Aquamarine.
April Birthstone : Diamond.
May Birthstone : Emerald.
June Birthstone : Alexandrite or a Pearl.
July Birthstone : ruby.
August Birthstone : peridot.
September Birthstone : sapphire.
October Birthstone : tourmaline or opal.
November Birthstone : Topaz or Citrine.
December Birthstone : Tanzanite, zircon, or turquoise.

How did these breastplate stones become the birthstones that we are all familiar with today? Moving further, it is believed that two academics from the first and fifth centuries AD, Flavius Josephus and St. Jerome, connected the 12 breastplate stones with the 12 zodiacal signs. The original plan was for everyone to own all 12 birthstones and wear them on the associated month.

In the 18th century in Poland, Jewish gem dealers began marketing and selling each gemstone according on a person’s birth month, giving rise to the current variant we are familiar with today. The National Association of Jewelers formally established the practise in the US in 1912. Since then, the twelve birthstones have mainly remained the same, despite some businesses attempting to introduce their gems to the mix to increase sales. Remember that there are various kinds and variants of birthstones, including those for zodiac signs like gemini.

Stones by birthday for January : Garnet

The birthstone for people born in the month of January is garnet. The word “garnet” dates back to the 14th century, when “gernet” referred to a dark crimson hue. Additionally, it comes from the Latin word granatum, which in this context refers to the pomegranate seed.

Usually a rich red gem, garnet complements almost any style of jewellery. The variances visible in the table below are due to the fact that it is actually a set of minerals as opposed to most on this list, which are particular minerals. There are many grades of garnet that can be found in metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary rocks. Low-grade garnets are frequently employed in abrasive water jets that aim to remove coatings or corrosion.

Stones by birthday for February: Amethyst

The birthstone for people born in the month of February is an amethyst. The word “amethyst” comes from the Greek word “methustos,” which roughly translates to “intoxicated.” Wearing an amethyst was thought to prevent you from getting drunk in ancient Greece.

Amethyst is actually a type of quartz. One of the most prevalent minerals on Earth, quartz is the same material that covers white sand beaches and is the source of glass. Particularly, the imperfections in quartz that give amethysts their purple colouring cause them to form.

Long associated with royalty, amethyst gemstones are included in many crowns and pieces of royal jewellery. With its warm and cold colours, it is intended to emanate richness and authority. Amethyst is frequently found in geodes at your neighbourhood rock store.

Stones by birthday for March : Aquamarine

Those who had the good fortune to be born in March were given the birthstone aquamarine. Aquamarine is a compound term made up of the words aqua, which means water, and marina, which means sea. The gem is named from the stunning blue sea as a result. This gem’s history includes the use by sailors to secure their safety and good fortune on the high seas.

Beryl, a rare silicate mineral that is present in igneous and metamorphic rocks all throughout the world, is the actual mineral that gives aquamarine its name. It is specifically present in granite pegmatites and granite rhyolites. Although it’s usually not for gemstone grade, Spor Mountain in Utah is a major source of beryl mining.

Beryl comes in many various shades, and each shade has its own name. The following are the several beryl colours and their names: emerald (green), aquamarine (blue), red beryl (red), heliodor (yellow), morganite (pink to orange), maxixe (dark blue), green beryl (pale green), and the uncommon colourless variety goshenite (colorless).

Stones by birthday for April : Diamond

The birthstone for the month of April is a diamond, which you’ve probably heard of or even possess. One of the most valuable and rarest gemstones in the world is the diamond. They are 58 times harder than any other mineral on Earth, which helps to explain why they are so well-known. Due to its ability to cut or grind through anything, diamond-coated blades and bits are frequently used.

Diamonds come in a range of colours, including yellow, red, pink, green, and blue, and are constructed of a pure carbon lattice. Nevertheless, given that the majority of diamonds contain a faint hint of yellow, you undoubtedly have an interest in the exceedingly rare pure colourless variety of diamonds.

Diamonds are made of carbon, which has been subjected to extremely high pressures and temperatures below the Earth’s surface. Then, through kimberlite pipes, which are lava-formed pipelines, they are frequently brought back to the surface. They have been prized by societies all across the planet for thousands of years and were previously thought to represent lightning on Earth. Thanks to De Beers for popularising them, they are now frequently offered as engagement rings.

Stones by birthday for May : Emerald

May babies are given an emerald as their birthstone (like myself). The Greek word smaragdus, which means green, is the origin of the English word emerald. Based on the beryl’s impurities, an emerald is a type of beryl that is green, similar to the aquamarine previously described.

In Zambia, Afghanistan, Brazil, and Colombia, emeralds are also frequently discovered. Since gem-quality emeralds are extremely uncommon, most emeralds undergo heat treatment to intensify their green colour. It is well known that Cleopatra cherished emeralds and claimed ownership of each and every emerald mine in Egypt while she was in power.

Along with sapphire and ruby, the emerald is one of the “big three” coloured gemstones. Compared to all other gemstones combined, these top three jewels generate more economic value. In order to give beryl its bluish green hue, trace amounts of iron and chromium or vanadium are added to the mix.

Stones by birthday for June : Pearl or Alexandrite

If you were born in the month of June, pearls are your lucky birthstone. The French word perle, which means lead, is where the name pearl first appeared. This describes how a mollusc shell’s legs are shaped.

Because mollusks, which are living animals, generate pearls, they are gemstones rather than minerals. If there is a nucleus to start with—sometimes just a single grain of sand—a mollusk will make a pearl. The mollusk will then gradually build several layers of calcium carbonate around that sand grain. Actually, the mollusc does this because the grain irritates it, and attaching a smooth coating on it helps to soothe the irritation.

The majority of pearls you can buy today are actually cultivated pearls, which are created artificially in pearl farms by injecting an irritant into the mollusk’s shell. The Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, and southern China are the main sources of pearls.

Stones by birthday for July : Ruby

“If I decide to make a coat red in the show, it’s not just red, I think: is it communist red? Is it cherry cordial? Is it ruby red? Or is it apple red? Or the big red balloon red?” – Lady Gaga

Ruby is the birthstone for July, if you’re lucky and were born in that month. Chromium is used to give a kind of corundum called ruby its deep red hue. Sapphire is one of the numerous corundum varieties, and it depends on the impurities in the mineral. The Latin word for red, rubeus, is where the name ruby originates.

The Mogok Valley in Burma, renowned for its vivid blood red coloured rubies, is one of the most well-known destinations for rubies. Rubies are also found in India, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States. Not surprisingly, the ruby is thought to symbolise life and blood and to boost bravery. In reality, Burmese warriors would insert rubies under their skin before battle to give them bravery and protection.

Stones by birthday for August : Peridot

If you were born in August, peridot is your birthstone. The name of this gemstone, which has a vivid green glow, may have been inspired by the Arabic word for gem, faridat. It may have gotten its name from the Greek word peridona, which means “providing enough.”

Peridot’s gem-like beauty is due to the mineral olivine, which is typically found in mafic igneous rocks like basalt, gabbro, and peridot. Peridot is typically found in hotspots like Hawaii and along divergent plate borders. According to Hawaiian mythology, peridot actually represents the volcanic goddess Pele’s tears. Although olivine is a common mineral, peridot, olivine’s gem-quality equivalent, is less frequently found.

The majority of the world’s gem-quality peridot is made on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona, while it can also be found in Pakistan, Myanmar, and China. The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation is said to generate up to 95% of the peridot that is consumed worldwide.

Stones by birthday for September : Sapphire

The sapphire is the birthstone for September babies. A sapphire is a kind of corundum with a deep blue hue, similar to a ruby. The Latin term for “blue stone,” sapphirus, is where the name sapphire originates. Sapphires’ hardness, which rates a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, is one of their advantages (diamond is a 10). Its strength and stability imply that you don’t need to worry about it getting scratched. This jewel is also beneficial for industrial settings that experience a lot of wear and tear.

India, which is renowned for producing some of the best sapphires in the world, is where you can discover deep blue sapphires from Kashmir. Sapphires are also found in Madagascar and Australia. Tiny concentrations of both titanium and iron give the corundum its blue hue.

Stones by birthday for October : Tourmaline or Opal

If you were fortunate enough to be born in the month of October, tourmaline and opal are both your birthstones. The Sinhalese word for multicoloured stone, tura mali, is where the word tourmaline originates. Tourmaline is actually a set of minerals with a variety of chemical makeups and hues rather than a single mineral. The boron silicate mineral known as tourmaline is found in both igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Opal, which derives its name from the Greek word opallios, is the other birthstone. When you spin an opal, you can approximately translate this as “to notice a change in colour.” Opals are created when water picks up silica dioxide and deposits it together with minute amounts of impurities into open cavities or voids. After that, the water evaporation leaves behind the silica dioxide. The majority of the world’s opal comes from Australia, where periodic rains frequently cause water to leach out silica and deposit it in ground cracks.

Birthstone for November : Topaz or Citrine

The birthstones connected to the month of November are topaz and citrine. The more popular gemstone linked to November is topaz, which is available in a range of golden tones. The word “topaz” is derived from the Greek name Topazios for the Red Sea island of St. John. This is due to the island having been the source of yellow stones that were most likely not topaz.

Like other gems, topaz gets its vivid yellow colour from impurities. Topaz is colourless when it is pure, however depending on specific impurities, it can change colours. Brazil accounts for a sizable portion of the world’s topaz production.The majority of historical references to topaz may really relate to other gems, despite the fact that topaz has been utilised for thousands of years in a variety of ways. This is because the term “topaz” was widely used to refer to any light-yellow gem.

Birthstone for December : Tanzanite, Zircon or Turquoise

Tanzanite, zircon, and turquoise are the three birthstones for the month of December. These three stones each have their own history and chemistry and are all a deep blue colour. You might not be familiar with the gem tanzanite, yet it is one of the three that is most intriguing. Just found in Tanzania, this precious gem was only just discovered in 1967. Trace levels of vanadium give tanzanite its deep blue colour.

Maasai herders who were taking care of the Merelani Hills near Arusha, Tanzania, made the discovery of tanzanite. These herders discovered blue crystals and alerted a prospector, who registered the location with the government so that mining might start there. Tiffany and Company, who became the gem’s main distributor and wanted to highlight the stone’s unique geographic origin, came up with the name Tanzanite.

Also read: The meaning of mole on your body can indicate your personality.

Conclusion

This list of birthstones for each month of the year is provided in the hopes that it would be helpful. I appreciate you sharing information about the gemstones you wear as a geologist every day. They have a long history and have been used to denote many different meanings for a very long time.

It is astounding to consider the significance each of these stones has had on human history and how they will continue to influence how people see riches and power for many more decades. Tell us which stone you bought and if it was a present for your mother, daughter, wife, grandma, or anybody else in the comments section below.

Some useful FAQs